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  Protector

  Book One

  By: Tressa Messenger

  Protector

  Copyright 2011 Tressa Messenger

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-146356682

  ISBN-10: 1463566824

  License Notes

  The publisher wishes to acknowledge Candi Mancuso for editing services

  Cover design by Devyn Dawson Books.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under

  U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  The brand-name mentioned in this book are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

  This publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  First Edition June 2011.

  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Acknowledgment

  There have been many people who have come into my life at some point who have influenced and inspired me. I honestly believe that everything in life happens for a reason. Some people come into our lives or events transpire that have the ability to rock us and change us profoundly. Good or bad, I have absorbed all of life’s obstacles and they have made me who I am today.

  There are a lot of people I would like to thank for seeing me through this writing process. It’s hard to know where to begin so I will start with the most important person in my life, my daughter, Brennan. Ever since the first day I found out I was pregnant, I have worked hard to be a person of substance and a mother she could be proud of. I have strived to give her this amazing life that we have. All that I am is because of her and everything I do in this life, I do it for her. I leave with her my passion and love of the written word.

  I also want to thank my mom, Nancy, for editing this book for me and helping me make it as great as it is. I also want to say thank you for the life she gave me. We never had it easy by any means, but we pulled through. I was always a dreamer and no matter how many times I stumbled, she was always there to pick me back up without resentment or judgment. As an adult I see all of the sacrifices she had made for us and I only hope to be as good a person as she is.

  There’s no way I can get by without thanking my co-workers for the patience they gave me and apologizing for all of the nights I didn’t pull my weight because I was too absorbed with writing this novel.

  I owe huge thanks to Mr. Bill Benners, who has become somewhat of a mentor, for all of the advice he has given me throughout this process and showing me that this dream of mine is possible, and for having enough faith in me to keep pushing me.

  My beta readers, my girls in the YA at Heart Book Club, Devyn Dawson, you guys are awesome and help and encourage me more than you may know, especially Devyn, thank you for paying it forward with me. I will never forget you and all that you have done for me.

  Last but definitely not least, I want to thank my business manager and partner for life, Eric. He is my rock and my biggest support through it all. He sees so much more in me than I do, nor anyone else ever has. He constantly encourages me to excel and pushes me past my limits, whether I like it or not, which is exactly what I need. No amount of thanks would be nearly enough for all that he has done for me.

  Dedication

  There’s no way I can dedicate this novel to anyone else but to my “Lobster,” Eric. You are my very best friend and I adore you more then you could ever know. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I would have been able to do any of this. Thank you for loving me so much, you have made all of my dreams come true.

  Try as you may, a person will come across their destiny,

  Even on the road they take to avoid it.

  Tressa Messenger

  1

  Dylan looks at the clock above his office door and curses to himself. It was seven o’clock already, long past quitting time. Before he left the apartment this morning, he had told Anna-Marie they would go out for dinner to celebrate if he got the new account with a major franchise, and he did, but he didn’t realize just how long it would take him to organize all of the information. He smiles to himself, overjoyed that he landed the account. He has been with the firm since he graduated college six years ago and it has taken him this long to fully establish himself with the firm. Looking back, it has been difficult, but well worth it. He competed with two other agents who were well known in the marketing industry and after three weeks of endless meetings and strategizing, he knew he was ready for his final presentation. Today was the long awaited day. He had gotten dressed this morning with confidence, choosing his favorite olive green suit that Anna-Marie suggested, dubbing it his “lucky suit.” It was very expensive and tailored to fit his masculine shoulders and narrow waist perfectly. At the end of the day, he was the one they had chosen to handle the account. If all goes well, this account would be his ticket to a partnership with his marketing firm and the ultimate success he has been striving for.

  With one more glance at the clock, he decides enough is enough for the night. He throws a few files into his briefcase, just in case he has a chance to work on them sometime tonight, and then leaves the office.

  His office is on the south side of town and with a town as big as Wilmington it takes him a good thirty minutes to get home on a normal day. Thankfully for him, rush hour traffic subsided an hour ago. He makes it to the downtown area on the main road they live on, Market Street, within twenty minutes.

  It was Anna-Marie’s dream to go to college at the University of Wilmington in North Carolina, so he was destined to go there as well. He doesn’t mind the big city life most of the time, but he finds himself missing the slower pace of their little hometown, Oriental. Nothing compares to lying around lazily on a pier that is stretched out towards the river and listening to the rhythmic sloshing of the water against the wood as the seagulls cry out from up above. There’s no noise from traffic, horns, or sirens to intrude on the tranquil sounds of nature. Wilmington is a beautiful coastal town as well, but much bigger and busier than Oriental. Oriental is only two hours up the coast from here, but it seems worlds away sometimes. Quite frankly, Dylan could live anywhere and be content as long as he has Anna-Marie to share it with. So as long as Anna-Marie wants to be here, here is where they will stay.

  A few blocks from his apartment, he stops in at Matrix Jewelry store that is owned by his best friend, Charles. He and Charles met in college and became fast friends so if he was going to buy jewelry anywhere, it had to be there. He had recently made the decision that fourteen years of dating was long enough and had secretly sworn if he were to land the account he would finally propose to Anna-Marie. They never talked much about marriage throughout their relationship, but he figured it would happen eventually.

  He s
ays a quick hello to Charles before starting his search. He looks around then stops to look through all three of the engagement ring cases, while Charles stood behind the counter quietly waiting. He scans each ring as he goes, until his eyes settle on the perfect one.

  “Hey Charles, can I look at this one” he says, pointing to a platinum princess-cut diamond ring with emerald stones on both sides.

  Charles notices the beautifully crafted ring that Dylan is pointing to and gives him a sly knowing smile before he hands him the glistening ring.

  “How big is this diamond?”

  “That diamond, my friend, is a karat.”

  Dylan looks up at Charles, “Is that good?”

  Charles laughs and shakes his head, “Yes Dylan, it is. Do you know how screwed you would be right now had I not been your friend and you asked that question?”

  Dylan laughs and pulls his attention back to the tiny object in his fingers tips. He turns it all around as he exams the unique ring. He had never seen a ring so beautiful. The emerald green stones match Anna-Marie’s emerald green cat shaped eyes and sets off the princess cut diamond perfectly.

  “This is the one,” Dylan says with a big smile as he hands the ring back to Charles.

  “This is a very nice choice. It is perfect for Anna-Marie. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to bite the bullet.”

  Dylan runs a hand through his sleek, chocolate, wavy hair, “Well, it has been fourteen years. I figure I better do it sooner rather than later.”

  Charles laughs, prints out the receipt and hands it to Dylan, “It will be sized and ready for you to pick up by the end of the week.”

  “Thanks Charles, I’ll see you then.” Dylan shakes his hand and as he walks towards the door Charles calls out to him.

  “Hey Dyl, why don’t you go see Sally next door? Make sure to tell her I’ll be closing up soon.”

  Dylan smiles, “Okay, I can do that, but you have to promise not to tell her about the ring. I don’t care if she is your wife.”

  “I won’t, but you better do it soon because that woman can read me like a book.”

  “Trust me, I am.”

  Dylan turns, walks out and heads next door to the Fresh Flower Market for some flowers for Anna-Marie. Dylan smiles all the way, knowing that Charles and Sally put these two stores beside each other on purpose.

  Anna-Marie has always loved flowers and preferred them over any other gift he could give her and he was always surprising her with them. She didn’t really have a favorite, so it made it easy for him. He sifts through the different assortments and creates a beautifully romantic bouquet of different colored roses, oriental lilies and baby’s breath to break it up. Satisfied with the arrangement of assorted shapes and colors of smelly goodness in hand and a rushed greeting with Sally, he starts back on his journey home. Visions of Anna-Marie’s face as she sees him down on one knee, with that gorgeous ring in his outstretched hand cloud his thoughts for the rest of the drive home.

  Once in his parking spot, he turns off the ignition and catches a glance at the clock on the dashboard. It is screaming at him with its aqua blue light that it is almost eight o’clock. He quickly grabs the flowers and his briefcase off the passenger seat and gets out of the car. He doesn’t even bother taking the time to lock the doors; he is in too much of a rush to care. He prays Anna-Marie won’t be too upset. She has never been one to get easily upset and can usually roll with the punches; it is something he has always loved about her. He’s sure she’ll understand, but really, who wants to take the chance. He can picture her now, probably sitting on the couch, dressed up and ready for dinner, as she waits for him to finally arrive. Maybe she even has her sleek, and hopefully bare legs, crossed with the top leg bobbing up and down maniacally in a never ending restless motion. He smiles to himself as he pictures her signature annoyed look. Even then, she is still so beautiful.

  With only one foot in the direction of his apartment building, he is stunned by a sharp stabbing sensation to his upper back.

  His smile quickly turns to shock, “What the -”

  He desperately tries to turn around to see where the pain is coming from, but massive arms wrap around his chest holding him in place. The attacker breathes heavily in his ear, his hot breath tainting Dylan’s senses.

  Then he feels pain shoot through him again, then another and another.

  Someone has snuck up behind him as soon as he got out of the car and started to attack him, feeling as if the attacker is stabbing him in the back repeatedly with something he can’t see.

  Dylan wills his shaking hand to drop his briefcase; he feels paralyzed from fear. With trembling hands, he tries to fumble in his back pocket to retrieve his wallet, hoping if the person gets what he wants, he will leave him alone.

  Just as he is starting to bring the wallet out of the pocket, he feels a sharp stab on his bicep.

  Oh god, this person intends to kill me, he thinks to himself.

  His blood is everywhere. He doesn’t know how much blood he has lost so far, but it seems like a lot. He is beginning to get dizzy and black spots are blurring his vision, threatening to make him lose consciousness.

  Still wrapped in his attacker’s arms he is still unable to move. All he can do is stare at his apartment building and wait to die. As thoughts of death flash into his mind, a vision of a scrawny little beautiful brown-haired girl with penetrating emerald green eyes comes into focus. It’s been a long time since he has seen her at this age. She appears to be the same age as when they met on that first day of kindergarten. Dylan can remember watching her for a few minutes before running up to her that day. She seemed so shy. Without saying a word he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to the swing set at recess, smiling and laughing with joy. The girl smiles that same magical smile at him now and holds out her hand to him and silently beckons for him to come to her.

  “Anna-Marie,” he whispers.

  The attacker releases him and he falls to the ground in a cold heap, crushing the bouquet of flowers he is still holding in the tightest grip he can manage. Even with his head swimming in a fog, he doesn’t take his eyes off this girl he has known almost all of his life. He holds out his weak shaking hand to her, wanting so badly to find the strength to touch her, only then will all be made better.

  Slowly, with all the strength he can muster, he begins to crawl in the direction of the building. His knuckles are being cut raw on the concrete sidewalk as he drags the hand full of flowers with him. It is only about twenty feet to the entrance, but in his weakened state, it seems more like miles.

  He closes the distance from the blood soaked spot, littering his path with vibrant flower petals, to mere inches of the doorstep and stops when he realizes the stabbing has stopped. He wearily turns his head to look behind him, half expecting to come face to face with his attacker, but sees he is alone. He is so numb from the assault and blood loss, it is hard to be sure when the attack actually ended.

  Just moving those few feet have weakened him to the point where he can’t go any further. Visions of Anna-Marie flash through his mind again, images of her through various stages of her life, as tears start to fall. He relaxes his numb body on the cold concrete and closes his eyes, hoping to savor these visions of her as long as he can. He thinks back to the day he stood on the front steps of her parents’ house in Oriental to pick her up for their first date; they were only sixteen years old at the time. He had worked long hours after school and on weekends in the tobacco field all season to buy a car just so that he could ask her out on a date. He was so nervous waiting for her to come to the door that he could actually hear his heart pounding in his chest, but when that door finally opened, his heart stopped all at once. Standing before him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and one he had loved all the while, even if he was too naive to see it sooner. Her deep emerald green eyes penetrated the deepest core of his soul and took his breath away. She was the same girl with the long, unruly dark hair that she was on that firs
t day in kindergarten, but on this day she became so much more. He couldn’t take his eyes off her and his hand trembled as he held out a bouquet of fresh wild flowers to her. They have always been in each other’s lives one way or another for almost their whole life, but out of a lifetime of memories, that was the one day he remembers the most.

  With his last breath, he beckons to the wind to carry a message to her. An apology for breaking a promise he has held dear to him since the first day he met her. He had promised her that he would always be there. In the beginning, it was meant as her playmate at recess, but as the years went by, that promise grew into so much more. It is a promise he never intended to break, but he had to now.

  “I’m sorry.”

  2

  Anna-Marie opens her eyes to find herself surrounded in almost complete darkness. The only light in the room was coming through the sheer curtains from the street lamps below her bedroom window. She rolls on her back and stretches her arms out wide. She has had a long day at work today and decided to lie down for a little while before Dylan got home, but she didn’t expect to sleep so long.

  “Wow, I guess I really was tired,” she says to herself yawning and stretching her arms out wide.

  She turns her head to look at the bedside clock on Dylan’s side of the bed and notices the time.

  “Dammit, it’s almost eight thirty already.” She sits up quickly, with the warm down blanket still wrapped around her and a chill goes through her.

  Anna-Marie and Dylan have lived in the same small, but quaint, apartment since moving to Wilmington at the beginning of their freshman year of college. Now, as she looks around the room, goose bumps begin to rise up on her skin and she is struck with a strange feeling, a feeling of utter loneliness mixed with fear. Never in her seven years of living there has she ever felt anything close to the feelings that grip her now.